Star Micronics NX-2420 User Manual

NX-2420

MULTI-FONT

NX-2420

RAINBOWICOLOUR

USERS MANUAL

NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

Federal Communications Commission

Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio f 3 uency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful inte etmce
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and at, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:

l Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.

l Consult the dealer or an experienced radiofl technician for help.

Unauthorized modifications of this product by the user will void his authority to operate the equipment
unless expressly approved by the patty responsible for compliance.

For compliance with the Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a shielded cable.

The above statement applies only IO prinkrs marketed in the USA.

The Canadian Department of Communications

Radio Interference Regulations

Statement of

This digitalapparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radionoise emissions from digital apparatus
set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le present appareil numerique n’&nen pas de bruits radio&ctriques depassant les limites applicables
aux appareils numeriques de la classe B prescrites darts le Rtglement sur le brouillage radio&crrique
Cdicd par le minisbe des Communications du Canada.

The above statement applies only lo printers m&led in Canado.

Trademark Acknowledgements

NX-2420, XB-2410, NX-2410, SPC-8K, SF-lODQ, RH-1OZ: Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
IBM PC, PC-AT, PC-XT, Proprinter X24E, Proprinter X24, PC-DOS: International Business Ma-

chines Co .

% Microsoft ASIC, MS-DOS: Microsoft Corporation

LQ-860, LQ-850: Seiko Epson Corp.

NOTICE

l All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever without

STAR’s express permission is forbidden.

l The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.

. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this manual at the time of

~;e~;e$wever, should any errors be detected, STAR would greatly appreciate being informed

. The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this manual.

0 Copyright 1990 Star Micronics Co., Ltd.

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

This manual is organized into nine chapters. To learn how to make the best
use of your printer you are urged to read through chapters 1 through 3. The
remaining chapters may be treated as a reference guide for programming
operations, etc. It assumes a degree of knowledge of the operation of
computers (for instance, it assumes you know about hexadecimal numbers).
The chapters are as follows:

‘I

t.

Chapter 1 - Setting up the printer

This chapter explains how to get the printer unpacked and set up. Read this
chapter before you do anything else.

Chapter 2 - Control panel operations
There are a number of controls on the front panel which perform various

functions related to paper handling, print modes and font selection.
After getting set up, read this chapter and try out the various procedures in

it to find out how the printer works.

Chapter 3 - Default settings

This chapter explains how to USC the Electronic DIP Switch (EDS) mode to
make system settings on the printer.

Chapter 4 - Printer control commands
This chapter explains the different emulations provided by your printer, and

the software commands used to drive it. This section is of use if you are
writing or modifying programs to take advantage of the printer’s features.

Chapter 5 - Download characters
This chapter explains the procedures to create your own characters.

Chapter 6 - MS-DOS and your printer
Since the PC or PC-AT family of computers running under MS-DOS is

currently the most popular configuration of microcomputer, we have in­cluded a few hints and tips to help you use your printer with such systems.
Since virtually all PCs are sold with a Microsoft BASIC interpreter, we have
also included some hints, and a sample program in this language to
demonstrate the capabilities of the printer.

Chapter 7 - Troubleshooting and maintenance
This section gives a checklist of points to check if your printer is not working

in the expected way. It also includes details of some routine maintenance
operations you can carry out yourself. It is not, however, a complete service
manual. Call a qualified service engineer if you are unsure of your ability to
carry out any maintenance or servicing operations.

Chapter 8 - Specifications
This section gives the specifications of your printer.

Chapter 9 - Character sets

These charts show the different character sets available.

FEATURES OF THE PRINTER

This printer has a full complement of features, making it an excellent partner

for a personal computer. It supports the IBM/Epson printer commands and
character sets, enabling it to print just about anything your computer can
generate, both text and graphics. Some of its main features are the following:

l Versatile paper handling

Single sheets, fanfold forms, and multi-part forms (up to 5ply) are all
accepted, and you can use either push/pull tractor or friction feed. (You can
load fanfold forms from the nzar with push tractor, or fanfold forms and
multi-part forms from the bottom with pull tractor.) A special feature

enables you to keep fanfold forms parked in readiness while printing on
other paper.

l Six bright colors

Magenta, cyan, violet, yellow, orange, and green add a color dimension to

your printed output by the color version printer.

l Large variety of fonts and sizes

The printer has one draft font, one High-Speed Draft font and five LQ fonts

(Roman, Sanserif, Courier, Prestige and Script), italics for all styles, plus

condensed print, bold print, double-sized print, and quadruple-sized print.

l Extensive software support

Since it is compatible with the Epson and IBM printers, it works with any

software that supports those printers. That includes most word-processing

and graphics programs, spread-sheets, and integrated software packages.

l Easy operation

Indicator displays and beep tones provide immediate, easy to understand

feedback when you press the buttons on the control panel. ‘Ihe five buttons
can operate in combinations to perform a surprising variety of functions,

including micro-alignment.

l Easy can2 and maintenance

The ribbon cartridge can be replaced in seconds the print head in a few

minutes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 SETTING UP THE PRINTER

Locating the Printer
Unpacking and Inspection

Checking the carton contents
Identifying printer parts

Setting Up

Mounting the platen knob
Installing the ribbon cartridge and the roller unit
Installing the optional cartridge
Connecting the printer to your computer

Loading Single Sheets

Automatic loading
Manual loading

Loading and Parking Fanfold Forms

Loading the paper from the rear of the printer
Loading the paper from the bottom of the printer
Paper parking
Paper unparking

Loading Multi-Part Forms

Adjusting the Printing Gap

Chapter 2 CONTROL PANEL OPERATIONS

Buttons and Indicators

ON LINE button
PAPER FEED button

SET/EJECT/PARK button
PITCH button

FONT button

Power-Up Functions

Short test mode
Long test mode
Print arca test mode

Stay in panel pitch

Stay in panel font

Stay in panel pitch and font

Hexadecimal dump

Switch Combination Functions

Form feed

Top of form

1

1
2
2
3
4
4
4
8
9

10
10
12
13
13
16
17
18
19

20
23

23
24
24
25
25
26
27
27
28
29
29
29
29

30
32
32

. 32

Forward micro-feed
Reverse micro-feed
Changing the auto loading value
Clearing the buffer/All reset

Selecting the print color

Store macro definition

33
33
33
34

3.5
35

Chapter 3 DEFAULT SETTINGS

How to set the EDS mode
Functions of the EDS settings 38
Bidirectional test/Adjustment mode 43

Chapter 4 PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS

Font Control Commands
Character Set Commands
Character Size and Pitch Commands 55
Vertical Position Commands
Horizontal Position Commands
Graphics Commands
Download Character Commands
Color Selection Commandes
Other Printer Control Commands 81

Chapter 5 DOWNLOAD CHARACTERS

Defining Your Own Characters with Standard Mode

Assigning the character data
Assigning a value of character space
Sample program

Defining Your Own Characters with IBM Mode

Assigning the download character set
Assigning the character dot pattern
Assigning the Index Table data
Sample program

37
37

45
46

52

61
68

73
76
81

85
85
86
87
88
90

90

91

93

94

Chapter 6 MS-DOS AND YOUR PRINTER

Installing Application Software with Your Printer
Embedding Printer Commands 98
Programming the Printer with DOS Commands 100
Programming with BASIC 103

How the program works 108

97

97

Chapter 7 TROUBLESHOOTING AND MAINTENANCE

Troubleshooting

Power supply
Printing

Paper feeding
Maintenance
Replacing the Print Head

111
111
112
112
114
117
117

Chapter 8 SPECIFICATIONS
Chapter 9 CHARACTER SETS

Standard Character Set #l
Standard Character Set #2
International Character Sets
IBM Character Set #2

Code page #437 (U.S.A.)

Code page #850 (Multi-lingual)

Code page #860 (Portuguese)

Code page #861 (Icelandic)

Code page #863 (Canadian French)

Code page #865 (Nordic)
IBM Character Set #l
IBM Special Character Set
Proportional Spacing Table

INDEX

COMMAND SUMMARY

119
123

124
126
127
128
128
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137

149

153

Chapter 1

SETTING UP THE PRINTER

Subjects covered in Chapter 1 include -

. Locating the printer
. Unpacking and inspection (part names)

l Setting up and connecting
l Loading single sheets
l Loading and parking fanfold forms

. Adjusting the printing gap

LOCATING THE PRINTER

Before you start unpacking and setting up your printer, make sure that you
have a suitable place on which to locate it. By “a suitable place”, we mean:

l A firm, level surface which is fairly vibration-free
l Away from excessive heat (such as direct sunlight, hearers, etc)
l Away from excessive humidity
l Away from excessive dust
l Supply it with “clean” electricity. Do not connect it to the same circuit as

a large, noise-producing appliance such as a refrigerator.

. Make sure the line voltage is the voltage specified on the printer’s

identification plate.

l To disconnect the printer the plug has to be disconnected from the wall

socket, which has to be located close to the printer, and easy to access.

. Install the printer where there is sufficient room for the paper and any

paper being fed in or printed out.

l If you are connecting your printer with a parallel cable, make sure that the

cable is within 2m (6ft) of the printer. An RS-232 connection using the
optional SPC-8K interface can be made over longer distances.

UNPACKING AND INSPECTION

Checking the carton contents

Now unpack the contents of the shipping carton, and check each item in the
box against Figure l-l to make sure that you have everything (there should
be six items).
If any of these items are missing, contact your supplier.

Figure T-l.Checktomakesureyou haveall sixitems: 1) Printer.2) Paperguide,3) RolleruniL4) Platen knob,

5) Ribbon cartridge, and 6) Manual set (User’s manual, User’s guide and Sticker).

2

The optional accessories which you may have ordered with your printer are:

l Font cartridges (FC-lZ, FC-2Z, FC-3Z, FC-4Z)
l RAM cartridge (RC-32Z)
l Serial-Parallel converter (SPC-8K)
l Automatic sheet feeder (SF- 1ODQ)
l Roll paper holder (RH-IOZ)

/den tifying printer parts

Make an external inspection of the printer. Note the locations of the
following parts in Figure l-2.

Figure 7-Z. The printer’s external parts

Roller unit:

holds the paper against the platen.

Release lever: releases the platen. This lever must be back for

single sheets, and forward for fanfold forms.

Top cover: protects the print head and other internal parts.
Rear cover:
Entry slot:
Control panel: controls various printer functions.
Power switch: turns power on and off.

Interface connector: for connecting the computer to the printer.

protects the tractor feed mechanism.
for inserting single sheets of paper.

3

SETTING UP

Place the printer in the desired location, and remove all packing material
from inside the top cover. This packing material is intended to prevent
damage to the printer while in transit. You will want to keep all the packing
material, along with the printer carton, in case you have to move the printer
to a new location.

Mounting the platen knob

The platen knob is packed into a recess of the packing material which held

your printer inside the carton. Be sure to remove the knob from the
packaging.

Mount the knob on the platen shaft, which is on the right-hand side of the
printer. Rotate the knob on the shaft before pushing the knob fully into
position.

.

haten knob

F/gun, 1-3. Mounting the platen knob

Installing the ribbon cartridge and the roller unit

Remove the top cover by lifting up the front (using the two grips on either

side), and pulling the cover towards you (see Figure l-4). Now install the

ribbon. (If you want the color printer to print in black only, install the optional

monochrome ribbon cartridge, Z24HD or LZ24.)

NOTE: Turn off the power switch when you replace the ribbon cartridge.

4

Figum 1-4. Removing the top cover

1. Turn the tension knob clockwise on the ribbon cartridge to tighten the
ribbon if it is slack.

2. Guide the ribbon between the print head and the silver print head shield,
making certain that the spindles on the cartridge holder fit into the
sockets on the cartridge itself.

Figutu T-5. installing the ribbon cartridge

5

3. The ribbon should pass between the print head and the print head shield
(see Figure 1-6).

I

Figure I-6. Pass the ribbon between the print head and print head shield

4. After you have installed the ribbon cartridge, install the roller unit.

5. Open the rear cover using the two pits on either side.

6. Gripping the lock levers on both sides of the roller unit, fit the mounting
brackets onto the shaft inside of the printer mechanism. You will need

to tilt the roller unit slightly backward.

7. Secure the roller unit firmly by lowering into position, as shown in

Figure l-7.

8. Close the rear cover.

-

6

Hgure 1-7. Install the roller unit onto the printer

To replace the top cover, insert the tabs into the slots on the printer case.
Swing the front edge down to close the cover.

Leave the top cover closed during normal operation. The cover keeps out
dust and dirt and reduces the printer’s operating sounds. Open the cover only

to change the ribbon or make an adjustment.

7

Ins falling the optional cartridge

This printer has five built-in LQ fonts, and a 7 K-byte (30 K-byte for color
printer) printing buffer.

You can add more fonts or expand the printing buffer by installing optional
cartridges (Font catridge or RAM cartridge).

To install or change a cartidge, follow the procedure below.

1. Turn off the power switch at the front of the printer, and remove the top
cover.

2. Remove the connector cover at the right side of the printer.

3. Rush out the cap from the connector cover.
NOTE : Keep this cap in a safety place.

1
I

i

!
/I
[

t

Figure 7-8. Slide the cartridge into the slot with the power switch off.

4. ! Install the connector cover into the printer.

5. / Insert the cartridge into the slot of the connector cover, and slide it all the
way in.

NOTE:Remount the cap on the connector cover if you do not use the

optional cartridge.

8

Connecting the printer to your computer

Connect the printer to your computer using a standard parallel interface
cable. On a PC or PC/AT-type computer, this means that you use the 25-pin

D-type connector at the computer end, and the Amphenol-type 36pin con­nector at the printer end. The configuration of the printer’s connector is
given in Chapter 8 should you need a cable for connection to another
computer.

If you need to connect to a serial port, use the optional Serial-Parallel con-

verter, SPC-8K.

I
Figure 1-9. Connecting the interface cable

Plug the printer into a suitable outlet. However, DO NOT turn on the power
switch at the front of the printer yet.

NOTE:To disconnect the printer the plug has to be disconnected from the

wall socket, which has to be located close to the printer, and easy to
access.

LOADING SINGLE SHEETS

This section will take you through the procedures for loading single sheets
of paper.

If you are using the optional automatic sheet feeder (SF-lODQ), refer to the
ASF instruction booklet.

Automatic loading

Single sheets can be loaded manually with the power off, or automatically
with the power on. We will start the easy way with automatic loading.

1. Place the paper guide in position by inserting the tabs, located on the
bottom of the assembly, into the slots on the rear cover of the printer.

Figure I-10. Mounting the paper guide for single sheets

2. Adjust the paper guides to match the size of the paper you will be using.

Remember that printing will start some distance from the left-hand edge
of the carriage.

3. Turn on the power using the switch located at the front of the printer. The

printer will beep, indicating that there is no paper in position for printing.

The orange POWER indicator will also flash to confirm this.

10

4. Make sure that the release lever is back.
If fanfold paper is already mounted in the printer, press the (

SETpkEillp

button to park the paper in the off-line state, then move the release lever
backwards.

5. Place a single sheet between the guides, placing the side on which you
want to print towards the back of the printer. Gently push the paper down
in the guides until you feel it stop.

6. Now press the (

SE&/f&CT

) button. The paper will be fed into the printer

and adjusted past the print head to a position ready for printing.

7. If you want to set the paper to a different position, set the printer off-line
by pressing the (

ON LINE

) button, then set the paper by using the

micro-feed function. (For details, refer to Chapter 2.)

Adjustable paper guide

Figure I-17. Loading a single sheet

Manual loading

It is also possible to load paper manually while the printer’s power is off. The

procedure is:

1. Place the paper guide in position by inserting the tabs, located on the
bottom of the assembly, into the slots on the rear cover of the printer.

2. Check that printer power is off and the release lever is back.

3. Adjust the paper guides to match the size of paper you will be using.
Remember that printing will start some distance from the left-hand edge
of the carriage.

4. Place a single sheet between the guides, placing the side on which you
want to print towards the back of the printer. Gently push the paper down
in the guides until you feel it stop.

5. Turn the platen knob clockwise until the front edge of the paper comes
out from under the top cover.

6. If the paper is not straight, move the release lever forward, then
straighten the paper by hand and move the release lever back.

12

LOADING AND PARKING FANFOLD FORMS

Fanfold forms have holes along the sides and perforations between the

sheets. They are also called sprocket forms, punched forms, or just plain
“computer paper”. This printer accepts forms up to 10” wide. This section
will take you through the procedures for loading, parking and unparking
fanfold forms.

NOTE: To get good line-feeding, put l-inch space (non-printing area)

around a perforation.

.

Loading the paper from the rear of the printer

You can load the fanfold paper either from the rear or from the bottom of the
printer. If you are going to load the paper from the bottom, refer to the next
section.

1. Place a stack of fanfold paper behind and at least one page-length below
the printer.

2. Turn the printer’s power OFF.

3. Push the release lever forward. This has the effect of releasing the paper
from the platen roller, and engaging the tractor feed.

4. Remove the paper guide and put it aside for the moment.

5. Remove the rear cover using the two pits on either side, and push back­wards as in Figure l-12.

I

Figure 7-72. Removing the rear cover

6. Move the tractor units downwards by gripping the positioning levers on
both side of the tractor unit as shown in Figure 1-13.

Figure T-73. Move the tractor units downwards for loading the paper from the rear

7. With the tractor covers open, mount the paper by aligning holes with the
pins on the tractor unit.

FigUf.9 1-14. Mount the tantold paper over the tractor units.

14

lamp

level

8. Adjust the spacing of the tractor units by sliding them along the bar, using

F

the clamp lever at the back of each unit to release and lock them in
position. When the clamp lever is up, the unit is released, and when it is
down, the unit is locked.

9. Now close the tractor covers, again making sure that the paper holes are
aligned with the pins on the tractor units. If they are not aligned properly,
you wilI have problems with paper feeding, possibly resulting in tearing
and jamming of the paper.

10. Turn on the power using the switch located at the front of the printer. The
printer will beep, indicating that the paper is not yet fully loaded. The
orange POWER indicator will also flash to confirm this.

ll.Nowpressthe (

SC~~&C’

1 button. The paper will be fed and adjusted

past the print head to a position ready for printing.

12. If you want to set the paper to a different position, set the printer off-line
by pressing the ( ON LINE 1 button, then set the paper by using the
micro-feed function. (For details, refer to Chapter 2.)

13. Replace the rear cover, and mount the paper guide in the horizontal
position shown in Figure l-15, so that it will separate the printed from
the unprinted paper.

Figure 7-75. Mounting the paper guide for fanfold forms

15

Loading the paper from the bottom of the printer

You can load the fanfold paper from the bottom of the printer with the
following procedure.

1. Remove the top cover and the roller unit.

2. Open the rear cover using the two pits at the side, and push backwards.

3. Grip the positioning levers on both side of the tractor unit, and pull the
unit upwards as shown in Figure l-l 6.

Figure l-16. Pull up the tractor unit for bottom feeding

4. Place a stack of fanfold paper below the printer.

5. With the tractor covers open, mount the paper from the bottom of the
printer, by aligning holes with the pins on the tractor unit.

6. Adjust the spacing of the tractor uni ts by sliding them along the bar, using
the clamp lever at the back of each unit to release and lock them in
position. When the lever is up, the unit is released, and when it is down,
the unit is locked.

16

Figure 7-77. Install the roller unit after mounted the fanfold paper from the bottom of the printer.

Now close the tractor covers, again making sure that the paper holes are

7.
aligned with the pins on the tractor units. If they are not aligned properly,
you will have problems with paper feeding, possibly resulting in tearing
and jamming of the paper.
Remount the roller unit and replace the rear cover and the top cover.

8.

Paper parking

After loading fanfold paper from the rear of the printer, you do not have to
unload it when you want to print on a single sheet. The printer will “park”
it for you if you follow the procedure below.

To begin paper parking, start with power ON, fanfold paper loaded in

1.
printing position, and the release lever forward.
Press the ( ON LINE

2.

line. ON LINE indicator will turn off.
Tear off the printed form at the last perforation, leaving not more than

3.
about half a page showing above the top cover. If necessary, press the

(PAPER FEED) button to feed paper forward until a perforation is located

just above the top cover, and tear there.

)button on the control panel to set the printer off-

17

4. Press the (
The printer will automatically feed the fanfold form backward until the
paper is completely free of the platen.

5. Move the release lever to the back.

6. Mount the paper guide in the upright position.

Now you can load single sheets either automatically or manually, as

explained previously. The fanfold paper remains parked at the back of the

printer.

NOTE: You cannot park the fanfold paper if you have loaded it from the

bottom of the printer.

5E’phE&C’

I button on the control panel.

Paper unparking

When you want to resume using fanfold paper, the procedure is as follows.

1. Remove all single sheets from the printer.

2. Mount the paper guide in the horizontal position.

3. Move the release lever to the front.

4. Press the C
parked fanfold paper back into position for printing.

NOTE: The printer beeps intermittently if you move the release lever while

the paper is loaded.

SFTpf&CT

1 button. The printer will automatically feed the

18

LOADING MULTI-PART FORMS

You can print on continuous multi-part forms with the built-in tractor unit.
You can use multi-part forms that have up to five parts including the original
when the Multi-part mode is selected with the EDS setting. (For details,

please refer to Chapter 3.)

It is recommended to use forms jointed by dotted orpasting under the normal
office condition.

L

Multi-part forms should be pressure sensitive, and should not be used in the
friction feed. (Bottom feed with the pull-tractor is recommended.)

NOTE: When printing continuous multi-part forms, care should be taken,

as the edges of the paper might be damaged.
The tolerance between the dotted or pasted position and other

positions must be less than 0.05 mm.

19

ADJUSTING THE PRINTING GAP

The distance between the print head and the platen can be adjusted to

accommodate different paper thicknesses. To make this adjustment, remove
the top cover. The adjustment lever is located at the left side of the printer
mechanism. Pushing the adjustment lever backwards narrows the gap;
pulling it forwards widens the gap.

There are six positions, and you can feel the lever clicking into each position.
The second position from the rear is the one most commonly used for single
sheets of paper. Try different positions until you get the best printing results.
(Do not set the lever out of the marked positions.)

Adjustment lever

I

Figure I-18. Location of the adjustment lever